The Riverside Club and Freihofer Bakery stand on the bank of the Hudson in Troy's Lansingburgh section, the oldest village in America and onetime home of Herman Melville. Built in 1895, the shingle-style Riverside Club was once the scene of convivial bowling and boating parties. The bakery, built in 1913 by the Freihofer Baking Company, employed generations of Trojans.
On May 13, 2005, the Troy Planning Commission declined to recommend that the City Council recognize the Riverside Club and and adjacent Freihofer Bakery to be landmarks. On the next day, the buildings' owner, a subsidiary of the George Weston Company, filed for a demolition permit. However, on the final day of the fifteen day waiting period, Judge James Canfield granted a temporary stay of the demolition until Thursday, June 2nd. At that time, the court will determine whether or not to continue the stay and hear the case on its merits
The Planning Board vote was a major setback in a five year struggle by a Troy preservation group, the History Action Network, to preserve the buildings.
One way to save these buildings is to find a buyer willing to preserve them. The Historic Action Network suggests that credible buyers call the owners' realtor, Richard Ferro of Prudential Blake, at 518-464-0870 extension 212, digital pager 518-467-7405 ASAP. The asking price is reportedly in the neighborhood of $1,000,000 for the buildings and their approximately two acre site.
